Research Centers

The Center for Coastal Studies is an interdisciplinary marine research institute which conducts basic and applied research, ecological monitoring, public education outreach, and graduate-level education and research programs. CCS scientists and students work on marine topics from the Texas Coastal Bend to the farthest reaches of the Gulf of Mexico. These scientists efforts contribute significantly to our understanding of the marine environments on which much of the quality of our lives is dependent.

The Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of Mexico Studies is an endowed and developing research institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Its mission is to support and advance the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico. HRI will encourage a tri-national responsibility and approach to understanding the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, and it will promote excellence and innovation in interdisciplinary scientific research, public policy initiatives, and education of the public.

The Conrad Blucher Institute will conduct innovative research and encourage scientists and professional engineers to develop and apply technology solutions relevant to surveying, scientific measurements, and to the issues in the Gulf of Mexico region. The Institute will achieve and maintain a national reputation for developing innovative geospatial science research and will serve as a focused resource area for geospatial datasets relevant to the coastal environment. The Institute will participate in cooperative ventures with other academic entities and federal and state agencies to ensure that research opportunities are available for historically underrepresented populations in the region.

The Center For Water Supply Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi was organized in 1991 to initiate cross-disciplinary research on water resources and other water related issues in South Texas. The Center focuses on research and education to develop professionals and leaders who can recognize and address water issues. Through active new research the Center provides information needed to evaluate alternative strategies for local and regional management of surface and subsurface water resources.

The goal of SRD is to build grant writing capabilities and proposal development skills among TEES researchers and to establish statewide partnerships to seek external funding for projects and centers that will promote national recognition of the academic and research excellence supported through the infrastructure of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station Research Divisions.

Research Facilities

Laguna Madre Field Station (LMFS)

The Laguna Madre Field Station provides a site and facility for field training, education, and research in coastal, environmental, and ecological studies. The mission of the LMFS is to increase understanding of the Laguna Madre, adjacent bays, estuaries, and Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, as well as to foster ecosystem stewardship through training, education, research, and outreach.

Part of the Department of Life Sciences, the primary mission of the Ruth O'Brien Herbarium is to provide support for teaching and research in the biological and environmental sciences. The Herbarium contributes to major floras, produces local and regional floras, and collects material from the field to distribute duplicates. Students learn plant identification to provide information services to government agencies, the academic community, and the public.

The molecular instrumentation core facility in the College of Science & Engineering was established to provide faculty and student researchers with access to research-grade instrumentation for the life sciences. At present, it includes equipment for both preparation and analysis, including two high-speed centrifuges, a thermal cycler, and a DNA sequencer and fragment analysis instrument.

The Fisheries Ecology Lab focuses on the marine biological sciences, particularly marine ecology. Its research is field-oriented, and considerable time is spent collecting data in the marine environment. Research interests focus on understanding the relative value of habitat for aquatic organisms emphasizing marine and estuarine fishes. Much of this research is directed towards determining temporal and spatial distributions of fishes, as well as the causes and consequences of the habitat use in terms of age, growth, and mortality.

The Texas A&M University Corpus-Christi Wet Lab is part of the Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Please visit the HRI website for more information on lab activities:www.harteresearchinstitute.org.

The HPC operates a scalable Linux cluster targeted for scientific researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, as well as other universities. HPC is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Pixel Island Lab - Visualization & Graphics Lab

The mission of Pixel Island is to conduct research in computer graphics and visualization, to be a source of expertise in these areas for the campus, and to educate students in these areas. Pixel Island currently has two major focus areas: face-to-face human computer interaction and visualizing scientific data.

CITGO Observatory

The Observatory, made possible by CITGO, uses four Mead telescopes to aid in the study of our sky. There is one 16" LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope in the dome and a 10" Reflector from Orion with dobsonian mount. Additionally, the Observatory holds one 8" LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain, a 7" LX200GPS Maksutov-Cassegrain, and a floor-mounted 90mm ETX. The picture at left was taken by students using the Observatory during the lunar eclipse in October 2004.

The mission of the Geographic Information Science Program and its facilities is to prepare graduates for a variety of career paths related to the acquisition, analysis, and management of spatial data and information. Career paths include education towards advanced degrees and employment in the fields of Geospatial Systems. The program prepares individuals to apply scientific and mathematical principles to determination of location, elevation, and alignment of natural and manmade topographic features.

The Engineering Technology Laboratories are housed on campus in the Engineering Building. The labs are used in support of the College's Electrical Engineering (Control, Electronic, and Computer Systems) and Mechanical Engineering (Construction and Maintenance) degrees. Engineering Technology focuses on the applied aspects of science and engineering aimed at preparing graduates for practice in the portion of the technology spectrum closest to product improvement, manufacturing, construction, and engineering operational functions.

The Isotope Core Laboratory (ICL) is located in TAMUCC's Natural Resources Center (NRC) room 3230. The purpose of the facility is to support basic and applied research in the biological, geological and environmental sciences in South Texas and promote collaborations among faculty at TAMUCC, other research institutions and industry.